Education

Less than a third of each dollar spent on higher education today goes to those who do the teaching. The rest is spent on administration, campus maintenance and other services students expect for the often high tuitions they pay, but that situation may be changing as low-paid faculty members join unions and find new ways to get better compensation.

Fifty years ago, more than 75% of college faculty members were full-time and had tenure or were on track to get it. Today, only a third are part of that elite group. Many of those doing the teaching at American universities are poorly paid, have no job security and limited benefits. Some have PhD’s but still qualify for government assistance to buy food.

The general public might think of universities as places for learning - and that would make teaching a valued resource, but a growing number of people at the head of college classrooms are making less than the minimum wage, have no job security and no benefits. In the first part of our series, we look at how a majority of college instructors are not tenured or even on track to full-time, tenured positions.

Rose Forp spent many years training adults in the workplace. Over time, it dawned on her that she loved to teach.

Lately, we’ve heard about a number of different summer camps in our region – specializing in everything from making movies to building computers, and it seems kids have the opportunity to learn whatever they want over the summer. Carilion Clinic operates one that could help some teenagers better determine their career paths.

State lawmakers say they’re determined to find ways that will help reign in the runaway costs of getting a college degree. Members of the House Higher Education Advisory Subcommittee applaud Virginia’s universities, but say the skyrocketing costs and college loan debt have become a very heavy burden for families.